The Challenge
Are you a student with a great idea that could make the lives of contact lens users easier? We’re offering £25,000 for a winning product design that solves some of the small but meaningful challenges that face contact lens wearers daily.
Whether it’s losing your contacts in a club, carrying lenses without a bag, or fumbling around in the morning looking for lens case, we’re looking for unique and innovative product designs to help improve the day-to-day lives of contact lens wearers.
Maybe you’ve got a trick to help you find contacts in the dark that could be turned into a product? Or a genius idea about how to improve a lens-cleaning routine? Whatever it is, we’re looking for ideas that solve real-world contact lens problems in simple ways.
Who can enter?
The competition is open to all undergraduate or graduate students from any higher education institution, college or university in the UK, Netherlands, Spain or Italy.
- You can enter as an individual, or as part of a team (max 4 people) and should all attend the same university and study the same subject.*
How to enter
- Create a WeTransfer link with your entry.
- Submit it via the form.
Entries must be submitted under one of the four following categories:
- Sports
- Travel
- Lifestyle
- Entertainment
Your entry must include:
What is the problem being solved?
What Was your development process?
The name of the invention
These three important steps can be expressed in a number of ways:
A series of 3-4 A3-sized PDFs detailing the problem, the development process and final design.
A combination of words and images portraying the three stages delivered as a PDF document (max, 3-4 pages). This can include early sketches, photographs and CAD renderings.
KEY DATES
| 18/09/19 | Competition opens |
|---|---|
| 10/01/20 | Competition closes |
| 17/01/20 | Entries judged |
| 21/01/20 | Shortlist announced |
| February 2020 | Award ceremony/winner announced |
How we’ll be judging your entry
The entries will be judged by a panel of experts, including product designers, academics and industry experts. They will be asking the following questions:
- Is your idea original?
- Has it really considered the needs of contact lens wearers?
- Does it solve a practical, day-to-day problem for an individual with refractive errors?
- Does it demonstrate commercial awareness, and could it be a viable product in the future?
Good luck and get designing!
Judges
Kuno Prey
Award-winning Italian designer whose products have won a host of international accolades.
On completion of his education in Art and Design, he began operating his own studio. His innate curiosity for design is clearly reflected through his use of interesting materials and technologies. In 1993 Kuno Prey became Professor at the Bauhaus–Universität Weimar, Germany and in 2002, he founded the new Faculty of Design and Art at the Free University of Bolzano, Italy.
Duncan Shotton
British designer, artist and inventor. His work spans product, packaging, graphic and user interface design.
His mission: to create products that engage users emotionally and promote happiness. He wants to ensure people love what they’re doing, wherever they are and whoever they’re there with. His studio focuses on designing happiness into everyday things, using themes such as play, wit and illusion to create tools and objects that converge simple ideas with serious product design principles.
Yorgo Lykouria
Creative Director, Yorgo leads the design work from his London base.
With more than 17 years as a creative principal, he co-manages international design studio Rainlight with Susan Grossinger. He is recognised for his work in automotive interiors for Ferrari, and various works for Vitra, Akaba, Alape and Dornbracht. In his early years as an architect working in Airports and high-rises, he became the youngest design director at Helmut Jahn’s office in Chicago.
Michael Kraftman
CEO of Vision Direct, Michael is at the helm of one of Europe’s largest and most trusted online contact lens retailers.
His leadership has taken the company from a small business to an internet giant, disrupting the sector thanks to quality products, fast delivery and exceptional customer service. The UK’s first online contact lens retailer, Vision Direct now has more than 200 staff and operates in several European markets, including the UK, Ireland, Netherlands, Spain, Italy and France.
Marcus Fairs
Founder and editor-in-chief of top design publication Dezeen, Marcus’ work spans across design, architecture, sustainability and innovation.
In 2018, he was named one of London’s 1,000 most influential people by the Evening Standard, recognising his lengthy career driving change in society. Over the years, Marcus received multiple prestigious accolades – notably, he was named BSME’s Business Web Editor of the Year (2013). In 2003, he launched Icon, an international architecture and design magazine that was awarded Monthly Magazine of the Year in 2005 and 2006. His writing has been published on The Guardian, The Independent, Blueprint and more.
